


I'd give you the world

by Nightworldlove



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: ASL, Birthday Fluff, Deaf Character, F/F, Fluff, Janai's birthday, Sign Language, janaya - Freeform, surprise, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23434075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightworldlove/pseuds/Nightworldlove
Summary: Today is Janai's birthday! This fic is all about that,, part one takes place on the day before Janai's birthday and part two will take place on her actual birthday. - Amaya wants to make sure Janai enjoys her birthday, despite it being the first since Khessa has passed away.
Relationships: Amaya/Janai (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday to our favorite lesbian Golden Knight of Lux Aurea! <3 Just really wanted to write something for Janai's birthday and I've had this idea in my head since... January? 
> 
> This will be a two-shot, and I hope to be able to finish and post the second part tomorrow (April 2nd). It hasn't been beta'd, so apologies for any typos or anything; if you find any, please do let me know!
> 
> Please let me know what you think by commenting? It really validates and motivates us writers to keep doing what we do, it means the world to us when people leave comments! <3
> 
> Enjoy! o3o

**I'd give you the world**

_01.04.2020_

* * *

The sun was slowly descending on the horizon, coloring the sky an array of bright shades of reds and oranges, with streaks of pink laced throughout. It was a beautiful sight that took anyone’s breath away if they would take the time to admire the sky and the sunset. 

Despite the sunset being absolutely breathtaking, Amaya’s eyes kept moving sideways to glance at the Sunfire elf instead. She looked at Janai in awe, admiring the way the golden markings around the elf’s eyes and on her cheeks shimmered brightly in the light of the last bit of sunshine. Amaya felt her heart lurch when Janai closed her eyes, a small and sad smile appearing on the elf’s lips. But as soon as it had appeared, it was gone. While she wondered if she should ask Janai about it or just let them enjoy the sunset for now, Janai let out a sigh and turned slightly to face Amaya.

_‘My birthday is coming up soon…’_ Amaya simply nodded, she had been well aware. _‘Is it strange that I do not feel like being in Lux Aurea during my birthday?’_ Janai turned her entire body this time, until she was facing Amaya entirely. 

_‘I wouldn’t know why that’d be strange.’_

 _‘Because I am its Queen.’_ Amaya nodded, then shrugged. She was pretty sure the golden city could survive a day or two without its Queen present. 

_‘It’s not like Lux Aurea couldn’t handle you being away for a few days before, Janai.’_ Amaya offered her fiancée a warm, comforting smile. _‘I’m sure everyone would understand,’_ she continued. _‘They want to see their Queen happy, I am certain.’_

Janai let out another sigh as she nodded slowly. _‘I know you are right. But why do I feel so…?’_ Her hands stilled as she tried to find the right word, let alone the right sign. As seconds passed, her mind was still blank. 

_‘Because you’re Janai, Golden Knight and Queen of Lux Aurea. Because you’re_ you _, Janai.’_ Amaya’s hands gently cupped Janai’s face, her thumbs caressing the golden markings tenderly. 

_‘Do you think it would be okay for me to stay in Katolis during?’_ Janai asked, despite knowing Amaya would not say no. 

Amaya chuckled softly and pressed a kiss onto Janai’s lips before leaning back and letting go of Janai’s warm face. _‘I_ know _it is more than okay. the boys will definitely not mind, not in the_ slightest _.’_ Amaya winked at Janai, eliciting a genuine smile from the Sunfire elf. _‘And you know I would love to have you with me, there.’_

  
  


Gren grinned as Amaya’s hands moved rapidly, telling him about her plans. It made him happy to see the General and his best friend so excited and determined, it showed how much she cared about the Sunfire elf. He nodded every now and then, to let Amaya know he understood, then smiled when her hands stilled again.

_‘You can count on me, ‘Maya,’_ he answered and winked at her. _‘I will inform the others, so you just have to focus on keeping her occupied. Which, yes, I know won’t be a problem for you.’_

Amaya smirked as she nodded, then pulled Gren into a hug. _‘Thanks Gren, you’re the best.’_ She watched as Gren bowed his head and waved before turning around and walking away, to look for the others. As Gren disappeared around the corner, Amaya turned around and started walking back to her room, where Janai was undoubtedly waiting for her return.

  
  


When the door opened, Janai looked up, a smile immediately forming on her lips when Amaya came into view. _‘Took you long enough,’_ she signed as she walked over to meet Amaya halfway. 

_‘Didn’t realize I was on a time-limit.’_ Amaya stuck out her tongue and wrapped her arms around Janai’s waist. 

A chuckle escaped and Janai shook her head as her hands almost automatically found their way to the nape of Amaya’s neck, her fingers playing with the ends of Amaya’s short hair. “I am just glad you are back. It is your turn by the way.” 

If Janai hadn’t mentioned it, Amaya would’ve all but forgotten about their game of chess. She grinned as she looked at the board, over Janai’s shoulder, inspecting it closely. _‘You didn’t cheat, did you?’_ Exactly as predicted, Janai scoffed at her question. 

_‘I would never bring myself to such heinous acts.’_

_‘Good, because I was about to beat your ass and win,’_ Amaya replied with a triumphant look. They walked back to the table to resume their game, though it didn’t last very long until Amaya indeed beat Janai. 

Janai let out a deep sigh and rolled her eyes. _‘So, what will the victor choose?’_ Janai was genuinely curious, as Amaya had been acting rather… mysterious today. 

Amaya stood up and held out her hand for Janai to take. As Janai didn’t take it, Amaya curled her fingers towards herself twice. _‘Come on.’_

Her eyes searched Amaya’s, somewhat suspicious. Eventually she gave in and took Amaya’s hand, letting herself be pulled up until they were standing with barely any space between their bodies. _‘Are we going somewhere?’_ Instead of answering her, Amaya smirked right before turning around, nodding and tugging Janai along. She wanted to ask where they were going and if she had to take anything with her, but as long as Amaya wasn’t looking at her there was no way to do so. 

As they arrived at the stables, Janai got even more curious, especially when they passed the stable that held her inferno tooth tiger. Then the realization dawned on her, they were going somewhere on horseback, Janai felt somewhat anxious thinking about it. She still hadn’t really gotten used to riding a horse, as it was extremely different from riding her inferno tooth tiger. 

Finally Amaya let go of her hand and turned around, excitement written all over her face. Janai swallowed somewhat nervously as Amaya opened the lower half of the stall door in front of them, joining its other, top half against the outside wall. 

_‘Please don’t worry, love. I’ll be the one riding, you just have to hold on to me.’_ Amaya grabbed the wooden bucket from the hook outside and took out the dandy brush, then proceeded to brush her horse down. When she finished, she held out the brush to Janai, who took it from her and handed her the body brush. Amaya made sure to do it as quick as she could, while also making sure to do it thoroughly. 

Janai watched as Amaya brushed the horse with quick and fluid motions, just like when she would speak through sign language. As Amaya handed her the body brush, Janai exchanged it for the hoof pick and put the body brush back into the wooden bucket. She watched in fascination as the horse lifted its leg without being prompted, Amaya was quick to finish cleaning the horse’s hooves and handed the hoof pick back to Janai. 

_‘You can hang the bucket back, I’ll get the saddle and bridle,’_ Amaya told Janai and pressed a kiss onto Janai’s cheek in passing. 

She giggled soundlessly as Amaya pecked her cheek and hurried off to get the saddle and bridle. Janai stepped into the stall and made sure to let the horse know she was there. After clicking her tongue softly, the horse lifted his head and blinked at her, then moved his head to sniff at Janai. “Hey there. Sorry, I do not have any food with me for you. I promise to give you something when we get back, is that alright?” The horse blinked again, then startled Janai by shaking his head and neck. She was startled again as she suddenly heard laughter from behind her, causing Janai to spin around and glare.

_‘Is he giving you trouble?’_ Amaya asked, still grinning. _‘Good,’_ she continued and picked the saddle back up from the saddle rack. With the saddle pad already underneath it, she placed it onto her horse’s back. After fastening the girth, Amaya gestured for Janai to hand her the bridle. 

As Amaya checked all the straps again, Janai stepped out of the stall and waited for Amaya to come out with the horse, in the meantime she quickly grabbed the stepstool and set it down, for them to get on the horse easily. 

_‘Ready?’_ Amaya asked as she stopped her horse next to Janai. 

_‘As ready as I can be, I suppose,’_ Janai answered and got onto the stepstool right as Amaya sat down in the saddle. She got onto the seat right behind Amaya and wrapped her arms around Amaya’s waist, then squeezed gently as a sign that she was ready. She felt how Amaya took the reigns steadily into her hands and prompted the horse to walk out of the stables. With only one of her hands being squeezed once as a warning, Janai felt the horse go from a simple walk into a trot. As soon as they were off the bridge, the horse went from a trot into canter. There was no way she would figure out where they were going until they got there, Janai supposed, so she gave in and just rested her head against Amaya’s back. 

When she felt a sudden wave of cold, Janai stirred, her eyes fluttering. She rubbed her eyes to clear her vision and finally saw Amaya in front of her, flashing that beautiful smile of hers. _‘Close your eyes.’_ Janai blinked with confusion. She had only just opened her eyes, only to have to close them again.

As Janai raised a single brow at her request, Amaya snorted and flashed the Sunfire elf a toothy grin. _‘You trust me, don’t you?’_ she asked and caressed Janai’s cheek softly.

_‘Of course I do, you know that, Amaya. I have no reason not to trust you.’_

Amaya nodded, as she indeed knew Janai trusted her. _‘Than please close your eyes, I promise it’ll be worth it.’_ Amaya kissed Janai’s lips tenderly after Janai had finally closed her eyes. She took a step back and noticed how Janai’s twitched as she did, clearly taking note of the movement. As to not scare Janai, Amaya touched Janai in the spots on her body where she was about to grab onto. In a swift moment, Amaya scooped Janai up into her arms and felt her heart beat a little faster when Janai quickly placed her arms around Amaya’s neck. 

Some time passed and finally Janai felt Amaya had stopped moving and gently put her back onto her own feet. But as soon as she was about to open her eyes, Amaya covered them. _‘Keep my eyes closed, understood,’_ she signed and sighed. She had absolutely no idea where they were and what Amaya was up to, but the tingling sensation in her gut was anything but unpleasant. In fact, she felt giddy, she had trouble keeping herself from giggling. Her ears twitched as she heard some rustling closeby, accompanied by Amaya’s muffled footsteps, fading as she moved further away and increasing as she got closer again. Janai also noticed a somewhat chilly breeze against her skin, but it smelled crisp; which indicated they were somewhere higher up. 

Her ears twitched again as they picked up a crackling sound that she’d recognize anywhere, her lips curled up into a smile in response. Amaya was making a fire, Janai was proved right when the smell of burning wood worked its way into her nostrils. It wasn’t easy to stay patient and not open her eyes yet, as her curiosity grew more and more. 

Amaya grinned as she took notice of the smile on Janai’s lips, realizing the Sunfire elf must have heard the sound of her lighting the fire. She stepped closer to Janai and cupped the elf’s face into the palms of her hands before kissing Janai softly, pouring all the love she felt for her into the kiss. When she leaned back, she gently tapped Janai’s eyelids, to let her fiancée know it was okay to open her eyes.

She let out a relieved sigh as her eyes fluttered open, taking in Amaya’s beautiful face, with a smile that was as radiant as the sun itself. She smiled at her future wife lovingly, then was blinded as Amaya stepped aside and stretched out her arm towards the horizon. After a few seconds, Janai’s eyes adjusted and her jaw dropped. The sun set the horizon ablaze with intense and bright colors of deep red, orange and a golden yellow. Casting long shadows onto the ground far below them, proving Janai had been right; they were higher up. Nothing obstructed their view of the setting sun in the far distance, as it slowly descended little by little. To their right there was a small fire, with a log beside it, facing the sunset. Janai let Amaya lead her towards it and sat down onto the log, joined by Amaya right next to her. 

Her heart melted as she watched Janai looked at the setting sun in absolute awe, taking in the palette of bright colors which was now joined by more pastel shades of lilac and pink as the sky right above them grew a darker blue. Amaya snaked her arm around Janai’s back and gently held onto Janai’s side while resting her head onto Janai’s shoulder. Neither of them spoke as they admired the gorgeous view together. 

_‘This is so incredibly sweet,’_ Janai signed with glassy eyes. _‘thank you.’_ She turned her head to face Amaya as the brunette had lifted her head off of Janai’s shoulder. 

_‘There’s no need to thank me,’_ Amaya replied, then grinned mischievously. _‘yet.’_ As Janai’s brows rose, close to her hairline, Amaya chuckled. _‘You’ll see, soon enough.’_ She took Janai’s hand in her own, intertwining their fingers, and brought it close to press a kiss onto Janai’s knuckles, with the back of Janai’s hand facing her. A flutter of tingles swarmed in her chest as she noticed the blush on Janai’s cheeks, motivating her more to press more kisses onto the back of Janai’s hand, all while looking into Janai’s bright amber eyes. It felt like she was about to burst out of the seams with the amount of love the felt for the Sunfire elf, her heart sung and her skin glowed as she continued to drown in those beautiful eyes. There was nothing she wouldn’t be willing to do for Janai, she was ready to give up almost anything for the elf if she had to.

The way Amaya looked at her, made Janai weak in the knees, thankfully they were sitting down. Those brown eyes looked at her with nothing less than pure adoration and awe, while continuing to plant kisses onto her knuckles and the back of her hand. The blush on her cheeks was probably a vibrant crimson by now, as her cheeks felt nearly as hot as when she was in her heat-being mode. This woman continued to perplex and surprise her, which strangely didn’t bother her in the slightest. The way Amaya affected her just by _looking_ at her absolutely amazed Janai, even after having been with Amaya for over a year now. 

_‘Close your eyes again,’_ Amaya requested, giggling at the way Janai dramatically sighed and rolled her eyes. _‘Just one more time, promise.’_ This time Janai nodded and closed her eyes. Amaya let go of Janai’s hand and grabbed the bag she had taken with her, fishing out the items and laying them in front of their feet. She took Janai’s hand and moved them against each other, palms facing the sky. As she noticed how one of Janai’s brows rose in wonder, Amaya bit her lip to hold back a chuckle. After she had put the surprise in Janai’s hands, Amaya tapped one of Janai’s knees.

Her lips curled up into a big smile of anticipation right as Janai felt Amaya tap her knee, to let her know she could open her eyes. When she did, Janai gasped gleefully as in her hands was a bag of fluffy white marshmellows. Then her eyes wandered further down and saw two sticks in between their feet and the fire. “Amaya!” Once again, tears welled up, causing her eyes to become glassy. Her heart was racing from pure excitement and she was overcome with an array of emotions, the fact that Amaya had remembered touched her more than she could possibly put into words. 

_‘Unfortunately I wasn’t able to bring any lava, as neither I and my horse are immune to it… Hope the fire will do.’_

_‘Forget the lava,’_ Janai replied, after carefully placing the bag of marshmellows in her lap. _‘this means a lot, Amaya…’ S_ he swallowed with difficulty as she tried her best not to cry. _‘Thank you so much, for everything.’_ A chuckle worked its way out when Amaya waved at her dismissively.

_‘No need to thank me, just enjoy it.’_ Amaya grinned and held up both sticks, the pointy ends facing Janai. She nodded encouragingly and watched Janai press a marshmellow onto both sticks, then handed one of the sticks to Janai while holding the other above the fire. _‘And maybe try not to drop them into the fire,’_ she teased, bumping her shoulder into Janai’s. 

_‘If I do, it is not like I cannot just pick it back up.’_ A pleasant warmth formed in her stomach and chest when Amaya stared at her blankly, blinking a few times. Right as she saw realization appear on Amaya’s face, Janai started laughing. Her laughter was carefree and light, cheerful. _‘I can not believe you forgot about that!’_ Janai managed to sign with just one hand, while still laughing. Her laughter only increased in volume when Amaya pretended to sulk. 

Her heart felt pleasantly warm as she watched Janai laugh freely, she was no longer able to keep herself from laughing as well; Janai’s laughter was utterly contagious. 

  
  


The sky had grown a deep blue, with stars scattered all over it, some brighter than others. The temperature had dropped significantly and the breeze sent chills through Amaya every time, which would cause Janai to press against her a little more. Amaya let out a content sigh as they lay in the soft grass while gazing up at the starry sky above them. There wasn’t a single cloud to be found, allowing the moon to cast its light unobscured. 

Janai watched Amaya from the corner of her eye, admiring the way the moon’s light caused a silver light onto Amaya’s dark hair. The skin even paler in the moonlight, looking absolutely stunning. They could stay here all night and she would not even think of objecting, if it meant she got to drink in Amaya’s beauty all night. When she gazed back up at the sky again, her heart skipped as she saw a flash of light across the sky; a falling star. Naturally, Janai closed her eyes and made a wish. Though there wasn’t much she could wish for, as Amaya was beside her and would become her wife one day. And as they lay there in the soft grass under a starlit sky, what more could she possibly wish for?

When Amaya glanced sideways, she saw Janai had closed her eyes and her lips moved as she spoke. Though from this angle, Amaya couldn’t tell what it was that Janai was saying. Realizing Janai was making a wish, Amaya smiled, she had wondered if Janai had caught the falling star as well. As Janai opened her eyes again, Amaya reached over and tenderly caressed Janai’s cheek. The Sunfire elf always looked stunning, of course, but there was something about the way the moonlight illuminated Janai’s features that overwhelmed Amaya in the best way possible. She rolled herself onto her side and propped herself onto her left arm’s elbow, before leaning closer until her face was above Janai’s. As she brought her face closer to Janai’s, Janai turned the slightest bit to make it easier on her, With a smile, Amaya gently brushed her lips against Janai’s, waiting for Janai’s consent. Merely a second later, Janai closed the distance and pulled Amaya into a soft and tender kiss, with only the stars and the moon as their witnesses. 

The kiss was so tender, it was as if they were having their first kiss all over again. Shivers went through Janai’s spine as she felt the metal of Amaya’s tongue piercing brush against her tongue; just like the first time they made out. Janai had been so surprised to find out Amaya had her tongue pierced, but laughed right after. Because how was she ever supposed to know, until they kissed? Janai remembered vividly how she asked Amaya who else knew about it and Amaya had simply shrugged, which had elicited a flit of giggles from her. 

Neither of them had a clue of how much time had passed, but figured they should head back to the castle. Regardless of how tempting it was to just spend the night under the stars, Amaya didn’t want to let the other surprise go to waste. So they walked back to her horse, after making sure the fire was completely out and they hadn’t left anything behind. As Janai told her about how the elf had promised her horse a treat, Amaya chuckled and fished half of a small apple from one of the saddle bags and handed it to Janai.

_‘Not me, your horse!’_ Amaya nodded while still handing out the fruit to the elf.

_‘You promised him, so you’re giving it to him. He won’t bite.’_ As Janai still looked at her hesitantly, Amaya flashed Janai a soothing, yet encouraging smile. _‘Just make sure to keep your hand flat, like this.’_ Amaya held out the hand she had used to sign, palm facing the sky with her thumb pressed tightly against the side. When Janai mimicked her, Amaya nodded. _‘Exactly like that, so he can’t accidentally bite you.’_ Janai still didn’t look overly confident, but less hesitant than earlier. When Janai held out her hand the way Amaya had shown, Amaya placed the apple on Janai’s palm and brought Janai’s hand up a bit. She clicked with her tongue, instantly gaining the full attention of her horse. 

As the horse visibly sniffed closer to her hand, Janai giggled nervously. When the horse finally reached her hand, his upper lip lifted up, showing large yellow teeth. Another giggle worked its way out when Janai felt the horse’s lips graze her hand until it finally found the apple and took it from her hand with its teeth. Janai started to chuckle as she realized it had been nothing but silly for her to have been nervous. The horse rubbed his soft nose against the side of her face and cheek as he chewed on the apple happily, as if to thank her. 

Amaya had just watched with a lovestruck smile, the whole thing had been absolutely adorable. She knew her horse liked Janai and she was happy to see that Janai’s nerves had melted away. This was made even clearer as Amaya saw Janai coo while petting her horse’s nose and neck, then snickered as Janai startled when her horse neighed softly. 

  
  


When they returned, Gren was waiting for them in the stables, next to her horse’s stall. Amaya winked at him with a big grin, to which he simply nodded with nothing more than a smile. Amaya helped Janai down and got off her horse right after.

_‘The stableboy is waiting right outside to unsaddle your horse, he already mucked out the stall and filled up the hay,’_ Gren informed her and Amaya nodded gratefully. 

_‘Thanks Gren, what would I do without you?’_

“Hope you did not stay awake waiting for us, Gren.” As Gren turned to face her, Janai looked at the ginger apologetically. 

“Not at all, please do not worry,” Gren answered with a warm smile. 

“If you say so, Gren. Well, I wish you a goodnight,” Janai replied and waved before Amaya pulled her along, out of the stables. _‘Is there a reason as to why you seem to be in such a hurry?’_ Janai asked, but didn’t need Amaya to answer her as the expression on Amaya’s face said it all.


	2. Happy birthday, Janai

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the second and final part to Janai's birthday fic! Hasn't been beta'd yet, as I literally only JUST finished writing this :'D
> 
> Please let me know what you think by commenting? It really validates and motivates us writers to keep doing what we do, it means the world to us when people leave comments! <3
> 
> Enjoy! o3o

Careful not to wake Janai, Amaya slid out of the bed with as little movement as she could. Relief had washed over her when she had woken up and realized the Sunfire elf was still fast asleep, as usually Janai was the one to wake up first. As she tip-toed through the room, Amaya picked up a shirt from the chair in front of the vanity table and put it on. Just the shirt and her shorts would have to do for now, as she would get properly dressed later anyway. 

Before she was about to close the door behind her, she quickly glanced into the room to see Janai fortunately was still asleep. She made sure to hold the door until it closed completely, then hurried down the hall until she reached the door of Gren’s room. After knocking twice, Amaya opened the door and slid inside. She waited, facing the wall, until she felt Gren gently tap her shoulder. 

_ ‘Good morning, Amaya. Did you sleep well?’  _ Gren asked and yawned while stretching simultaneously. Amaya nodded with a smirk, causing Gren to chuckle.  _ ‘Ah, I see. Is she awake already?’  _

Amaya shook her head,  _ ‘No, not yet. Honestly it is a miracle I managed to wake up before her, I literally ran here.’  _

_ ‘You’re serious,’  _ Gren stated, to which Amaya nodded.  _ ‘Well, I’ll go get dressed and take care of everything. Do you think you can keep her in your room for about an hour?’  _

_ ‘I’ll figure something out,’  _ Amaya answered with a playful wink.  _ ‘Thanks again,Gren. It means a lot to me, I owe you.’  _

Gren waved it off, dismissively.  _ ‘Don’t mention it, Amaya. It’s a team effort.’  _ He hugged her before holding the door open for her.  _ ‘Now get back before she wakes up. _ ’ 

Amaya nodded while offering Gren a grateful smile and hurried back down the hall to her room. 

As she sneaked back inside, she was relieved to find that Janai still hadn’t woken up yet. She let out a sigh of relief and walked back to the bed, snuggling against Janai’s warm body right as she got back into the bed. Warmth pooled in her heart when Janai’s arms searched for her body and wrapped around it; pulling Amaya even closer. The elf was absolutely adorable, especially when she was asleep. Amaya reached out her hand and gently caressed Janai’s cheek, her fingers slowly traced towards Janai’s ear. The touch light as a feather as she stroked the edge of Janai’s ear, causing the Sunfire elf to stir, nose scrunching in the way that made Amaya giggle. 

As she felt something against her ear, she twitched it, but whatever was there wouldn’t leave. So Janai opened her eyes, only to find a giggling Amaya in front of her. Instead of pretending to be annoyed, Janai simply smirked as she moved her hand slightly and started to tickle Amaya’s side in revenge. A wide grin decorated her face as she watched Amaya burst out into laughter and turned on her back. Unfortunately for the brunette, this only offered Janai better access to  _ both _ of Amaya’s sides. She continued tickling Amaya, causing the brunette to spasm around the bed, until tears of laughter rolled down her cheeks. But as Amaya tapped Janai’s arm three times, Janai pulled back her hand and chuckled amusedly.

_ ‘My muscles ache,’  _ Amaya signed before wiping the tears from her face.  _ ‘So I guess that was it for my morning work-out.’ _ Janai scoffed at her with a grin. 

_ ‘Not a chance. We are still doing our morning work-out,’  _ Janai replied after she sat up. She leaned over Amaya and bent down to kiss her love goodmorning.  _ ‘Good morning, my love.’  _ She couldn’t help but smile widely as Amaya’s eyes looked into hers lovingly.  _ ‘How come you woke up before me? Am I not usually the one of us two to wake up first?’  _ Amaya simply nodded.  _ ‘Did I kick you again?’  _ Janai asked in horror. It wouldn’t be the first time to happen, apparently she had the tendency to kick Amaya in her sleep sometimes. 

Amaya let out a chuckle and shook her head, gently cupping Janai’s cheek with her hand.  _ ‘No, you didn’t. Not this time. Guess I got enough sleep already,’  _ she answered with a shrug, not able to lie to Janai entirely. 

_ ‘Did you sleep well at least?’  _ Janai smiled as she saw Amaya nod. She leaned down again and kissed Amaya once again, before getting out of the bed and stretching her arms and legs while yawning. 

Amaya got out of bed too and flipped back the covers lazily, then walked into the bathroom together with Janai. They both washed their faces and brushed their teeth, exchanging looks through the mirror the whole time. When they finished that, Amaya walked out to get changed. Meanwhile Janai removed the wrap-scarf from her dreadlocks and took the horn caps off her horns, then proceeded to braid her dreadlocks, so they wouldn’t get in the way during their work-out. 

As Janai walked out of the bathroom, she couldn’t help but stare at Amaya as the brunette was now topless. She watched quietly as Amaya put on her breast bindings, in the meantime Janai took off her sleep dress and put on her work-out shorts. A blush crept onto her cheeks when Amaya turned around suddenly and winked at her playfully. 

_ ‘Enjoying the view?’  _

_ ‘Perhaps.’ _

_ ‘Well, I know  _ I  _ am,’  _ Amaya signed with a smirk before putting on a clean sleeveless top, then walked over to Janai.  _ ‘Happy birthday, My Radiance,’  _ she signed and kissed Janai tenderly. After breaking the kiss, she leaned her forehead against Janai’s while still cupping the elf’s cheeks. 

“Thank you, My Sun,” Janai whispered and pressed her lips onto Amaya’s for another kiss. 

_ ‘Want to go for another round?’  _ Amaya asked, slightly panting and forehead glistening with sweat. 

Trying to catch her breath, Janai shook her head while bending over, hands resting onto her knees.  _ ‘No, I think that is enough for today.’  _ To make sure she would be able to see Amaya’s response, Janai stood up straight again, her breathing less rugged now. She wiped the sweat off her face and gestured Amaya to join her towards the bathroom. 

After having washed themselves and dried each other off, with many kisses in between and during, they walked back into the room to get changed into their day-clothes. 

_ ‘Is it expected of me to wear anything specific?’  _ Janai asked in wonder.

_ ‘Nothing’s really expected of you, love. Wear whatever you feel like wearing, it is  _ your _ birthday, after all.’  _

Janai blinked in surprise, not expecting that answer. In the past Khessa had always thrown her large and lavish birthday parties, with many nobles attending. Those had always demanded her to wear the most expensive regalia, her crown and the finest jewellery in all of Lux Aurea. But now she got to decide what to wear for herself, which she realized, was a bit overwhelming. 

_ ‘Are you alright?’  _ Amaya asked, slight worry rising in her chest as she witnessed Janai staring off in the distance. She carefully placed a hand on Janai’s shoulder, gaining the elf’s attention. 

“Sorry, what?”

_ ‘Are you okay? I think I lost you there for a second,’  _ Amaya replied, a worried smile forming on her lips.  _ ‘If you need help, just tell me. I could pick something out for you, if you want me to?’  _ she offered and waited patiently for Janai to respond. 

Initially Janai was going to shake her head, but as she felt unease and sadness creep up, she nodded.  _ ‘Please…’  _

She gently took Janai’s face in her hands and pushed herself onto her toes to kiss Janai’s forehead before flashing Janai a bright smile.  _ ‘Of course, let me take a look.’  _ Amaya turned and faced the wardrobe that held Janai’s clothes.  _ ‘How’s this?’  _ she asked as she took out a garment that was not exactly a dress, but not quite a tunic either. It was a deep red, close to burgundy, with simple golden embroidery on the edges of the hem, collar and sleeves. The bottom was somewhat flowy, with the back being a little longer than the front, which would reach down to Janai’s upper legs. The sleeves were neither short nor full length, they would probably reach to just below Janai’s elbows.

Janai held her chin between her thumb and fingers while looking over the garment Amaya had picked out. It was simple, yet sophisticated.  _ ‘What would I do without you?’  _ Janai asked and wrapped her arms around Amaya’s neck, pressing a kiss onto the brunette’s cheek.  _ ‘It is perfect.’  _

As Janai spun around in front of the mirror, Amaya was practically beaming, Janai looked absolutely breathtaking.  _ ‘Shall we get some breakfast?’  _ Amaya asked as she got up from the bed, but to her surprise Janai shook her head in reply. 

_ ‘Can I ask you one more favor?’  _

_ ‘Janai, it’s your birthday. You can ask me all the favors today,’  _ Amaya replied before she wrapped her arms around Janai from behind, looking at her through the mirror’s reflection. She smiled as she brushed Janai’s dreadlocks aside and pressed her lips against the center of Janai’s back, between the elf’s shoulders. 

_ ‘Would you braid my hair?’  _ Janai asked as she felt a pleasant shiver go through her skin when Amaya’s lips pressed a kiss against her back. She bit her lip when she saw Amaya halt and stare ahead blankly.

_ ‘I can try?’  _ Amaya offered, not sure if she still knew how to braid. It had been ages since she had last braided, but she stopped her thoughts when an image of Sarai popped into her mind. Not today.  _ ‘I’ll do my best,’  _ she promised and guided Janai to the bed. 

Before Janai sat down on the bed, she bent over to open the drawer in the nightstand and fished out a little pouch, which she handed to Amaya. She sat down on the bed with her legs folded underneath her and turned around to wink at Amaya encouragingly. “I love you,” she mouthed and blew a kiss.

_ ‘I love you too, Janai,’  _ Amaya replied and placed the pouch on the bed next to Janai. She leaned forward to press a kiss between Janai’s horns, careful not to have either of them poke her face. After inhaling deeply, she stretched her hands and fingers and got to work. She parted Janai’s dreadlocks as evenly as possible, into three sections horizontally, putting a clip on the two lower ones. 

As it turned out, Amaya had worried over nothing; as soon as she had started her fingers had moved almost automatically. Apparently she remembered perfectly how to braid, despite not having braided for years. Though she was proud of herself and the end result, she hoped Janai approved of it. After tying a ribbon around the bottom of the braid, she held out her hand to Janai, bumping it gently into Janai’s arm. As they got to the mirror, Amaya grabbed the small hand mirror from the vanity table and handed it to Janai.

“It looks amazing, Amaya!” Janai said while moving the hand mirror around to see all sides. There were no bumps or any ends sticking out, the braid was perfectly smooth. At seeing the gold colored ribbon tying it together, Janai grinned. Amaya really had an eye for details.

_ ‘Shall we, then?’  _ Amaya asked, then took the mirror from Janai and put it back on the vanity’s surface. 

_ ‘Lead the way, General.’ _

  
  


As they rounded the corner, Janai squealed when Amaya suddenly pulled her close. Amaya’s back was pressed against the wall and hands around Janai’s waist, it send a wave of flutters through Janai and a blush onto her cheeks. The way Amaya looked at her made it hard for Janai not to giggle, there was something about Amaya’s expression she couldn’t quite put her finger on. What Janai did know was that she felt as if they were teenagers, trying not to get caught making out as they snuck through the castle’s corridors. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as their faces slowly got closer and closer, until their breaths intermingled in the small space between their faces. Janai did not miss the way Amaya’s eyes lowered, looking at her lips. Her own eyes looked down as well, witnessing how Amaya bit down her lower lip in anticipation

As Janai’s lips hovered right in front of her own, Amaya could feel her heart pound in the base of her throat. Of course she could just lean forward to close the distance, but instead she left the initiative with Janai. It was up to the Sunfire elf now, all Amaya could do was wait. So when Janai’s lips brushed against hers, Amaya’s heart was basically vibrating and the anticipation nearly became too much. Her lips had started to and her hands had a slight tremor as Amaya could feel Janai’s lips against hers, yet they felt too far away still. 

If Amaya was trying to hide the fact that her hands were trembling, the brunette failed; Janai had definitely noticed. All of her senses were hyper aware of every sound Amaya produced and every movement, no matter how small. The world had simply dissolved around them, all Janai’s mind was aware of, was the two of them. The way they stood in the dimly lit corridor, with Janai locking Amaya’s body between her own and the wall. Her mind started to become somewhat hazy as Janai’s lips brushes against Amaya’s once again, even if she wanted to; Janai couldn’t take the tension anymore and leaned in. Her lips softly kissed Amaya’s and she felt her entire body relax against Amaya’s, as if it sighed in relief. The pleasant warmth in her stomach and chest spread out throughout the rest of her body, causing it to feel even lighter. 

As Janai broke their kiss by leaning back, Amaya flashed the Sunfire elf a smug grin.  _ ‘Took you long enough,’ _ she signed, using just one hand so she didn’t have to let go of Janai entirely. 

Before she fully realized, Janai snorted.  _ ‘Did not realize I was on a time-limit,’  _ she shot back, causing Amaya to smirk. 

_ ‘I think we’ve stalled enough, let’s finally get some breakfast.’  _

_ ‘Stalled enough? I did not realize we were going somewhere, is there something I should know?’  _ Amaya tired her best to keep a straight face while shaking her head. 

_ ‘Just going to get breakfast, aren’t you hungry?’  _

_ ‘Perhaps.’  _ With a chuckle, Amaya rolled her eyes and took Janai’s hand in her own.

“Good morning, Your Radiance, General Amaya.” Both guards bowed as Amaya and Janai approached the large double doors they were guarding.

“Good morning, guards,” Janai replied and bowed her head with a smile. 

Amaya nodded with a grin, baring her teeth. She noticed how Janai eyed her curiously and it was extremely hard for Amaya  _ not _ to break her facade. 

Something was up, that much was clear. Janai wondered what Amaya was hiding from her, but as soon as the doors opened, it became clear. She sucked in a breath, her hand covering her open mouth as the room came into view. Tears welled up in her eyes as her eyes registered everyone standing before them, waiting. Her brother, Ori was amongst the group, smiling a wide and bright smile. 

“Happy birthday, sister!” Janai turned to face Amaya and shook her head as she chuckled and tears rolled down her cheeks. 

“You are so sneaky…” she muttered and allowed Amaya to wipe her tears away. 

_ ‘I couldn’t have done it by myself, I’ve had help,’  _ Amaya replied with a smile. She gently took Janai’s face in her hands and kissed the elf’s forehead before taking Janai’s hand in hers. 

They walked further into the room where everyone was waiting for them. Besides Ori, Kazi was present as well, along with Gren and Soren, Callum, Rayla and of course Ezran, Bait and Zym. Last but not least, there was Corvus, proudly holding the large cake he and Barius had made together for Janai. It was a ruby chocolate cake with burgundy frosting and marshmellows decorating the top, along with small sheets of edible gold. As the couple reached the round table, the group started to sing; even Zym chimed in. 

“Happy birthday, Janai!” they all sung in unison, before walking over to the Sunfire elf and wrapping her into a group hug. 

“Damn all of you…” More tears spilled from her eyes as she let the people she loved hug her. It meant so much to her that they had all worked together to set this up and make sure her birthday would be a good one.

  
  


There wasn’t much left of the cake, which was absolutely delicious. Janai made sure to thank Corvus, several times. Every time Corvus had assured her he had made it with love, just as Barius had. 

“The rest is completely up to you, sister. What do  _ you _ want to do?” Ori asked after he finished his slice of cake and put the empty plate on top of the others. 

Her cheeks flushed as all eyes were on her, awaiting an answer from her. “I... I am not sure? What are Katolis’ traditions for birthdays?” she glanced sideways, to look at Amaya. The brunette was grinning as she exchanged looks with her nephews and Gren.  _ ‘It can not be  _ that _ different, right?’  _

_ ‘Don’t worry, you’ll have fun. Right boys?’  _ Amaya grinned widely, followed by Callum, Ezran and Soren. Gren chuckled while nodding, confirming Amaya’s claim. 

__ “You can trust us, Your Radiance, this will be super fun!” Soren assured, an excited look on his face. 

__ Amaya couldn’t help but chuckle at seeing the somewhat worried look on Janai’s face, to put the Sunfire elf at ease a bit more, she took Janai’s hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

_ ‘If you don’t like it, you can say so and we’ll do something else.’  _ To that, Janai nodded, feeling slightly less nervous and more curious than anything.  __

  
  


__ “Why are we doing this again?” Janai wondered out loud as she felt the blindfold being tied around her head, covering her eyes. 

“Because why not?” Soren answered dryly, eliciting chuckles from everyone. 

“So the goal is to follow our instructions to find the donkey and pin its tail in the right place,” Callum explained. 

“Don’t worry, aunt Janai, almost nobody gets it right. But that is the fun part!” Ezran added, followed by a cheerful chirp from Zym. 

It was hard to navigate with everyone calling out where she had to go, at the same time, but eventually Janai managed to pin the tail and lift the blindfold from her eyes. Instead of the donkey’s butt, the tail was now pinned to its head. 

  
  


“You can do this, Ori!” Janai cheered encouragingly. Her eyes went back and forth between her brother and Soren, who both had their faces in a barrel filled with water, while their hands were tied on their backs. Both of them desperately trying to find the apple with just their mouth. She had never seen anything like it, but agreed that it was quite amusing to watch. For a moment it looked like Soren was going to win the game, until the apple dropped into the water again, sending a wave of water over the edge of the barrel.

Ori lifted his head, with the apple in his mouth and a triumphant look on his face. He bared his teeth into a wide smile after spitting out the apple, splashing back into the water. Janai cheered loudly while pumping her fist into the air. She ran over and hugged him after Corvus had freed Ori’s hands, celebrating her brother’s victory. 

  
  


Everyone was amazed at how good Kazi was at the balancing game, they had yet to drop an egg. Whereas others had dropped several eggs, only Rayla and Amaya and Kazi had been able to keep their eggs from falling onto the ground. 

That was until Rayla’s egg dropped from the spoon in her mouth, the shell breaking as it hit the ground. Luckily it was merely eggshells and water, as Ezran had insisted not to waste eggs for a game. Corvus had offered the solution of using emptied eggs and filling them with water.

As Rayla sat down next to Callum while muttering in protest, Kazi and Amaya were the last ones who were still in the race. Everyone cheered both of them on, applauding excitedly when both of them reached the finish line with their eggshells unharmed. Everyone joined them and squeezed them into a hug, at this point everyone had lost count of the amount of group hugs there had been. 

“Thank you, everyone, for today. I had so much fun and the cake was absolutely delicious! I could not have wished for a better way to spend my birthday than with my—with  _ our _ family.” Janai smiled warmly, truly grateful to every single one of their little family. 

They ate until they couldn’t eat another single bite, with wine, and fruit juice for the minors, flowing and laughter filling the dining hall. Nobody had kept track of time, until Ezran and Zym had started yawning with barely any breaks in between. Everyone wished the young king, prince Callum and Rayla goodnight as Corvus had offered to escort them to their chambers. 

Eventually it was just Janai, Amaya, Gren, Kazi and Ori who were still sitting around the table. Amaya had asked Gren for help with hiding the remaining wine away as Janai was now slurring enough to where Amaya could no longer understand her. 

_ ‘I am  _ not _ drunk!’  _ Gren interpreted Janai’s slurred speech, saving Kazi the embarrassment. They were blushing profusely as they were not entirely sure how to act or respond to their Queen being intoxicated. 

_ ‘And I’m an elf,’  _ Amaya joked with a straight face. 

_ ‘But then what is Ori?’  _ Ori snorted, nearly choking on his wine in response.

“Sister, you have indeed had enough. If you can’t remember that I am very much a Sunfire elf like yourself, you are anything  _ but _ sober.” Though he clearly found the whole situation hilarious, as he didn’t attempt to tell his sister to go to bed. 

“Your Radiance, Amaya’s statement was what humans refer to as ‘sarcasm’. She is in fact not an elf,” Kazi explained. Amaya couldn’t even get herself to respond with her usual sass. 

_ ‘Janai, my love. How about we go to our room, hmm?’  _ Amaya persuaded, as she rested her hand on Janai’s upper leg.

_ ‘She said…’  _ One glance at Gren and Amaya felt extremely sorry for him, this was a lot, even for him.  _ ‘You have another surprise for me?’  _ It was crystal clear what Janai had hinted at and Amaya truly felt bad for Gren as well Kazi and Ori.

_ ‘Something like that,’  _ Amaya replied, though the only surprise that would await them in their room was a freshly made bed and some much needed sleep.  _ ‘Wish the others good night, babe.’  _

__ Janai giggled as she waved and blew kissed towards Gren, her brother and Kazi. “Good night cuties.” 

“Sleep well, Your Radiance,” Kazi replied with a visible blush on their cheeks. 

Ori chuckled and walked over to Janai, wrapping her into a hug as he wished her and Amaya a good night. “I’ll see you tomorrow, please take good care of her,” he said when he faced Amaya. 

Amaya nodded after Gren had interpreted for her what Ori had said.  _ ‘We’ll see you tomorrow,’  _ Amaya flashed a few rapid signs at Gren, informing him to only tell Ori what she was about to sign next after she and Janai had left the room.  _ ‘All she’s going to do when we get to our room is sleep, but I had to convince her to agree to go.’  _ She wished Gren a good night and promised she would make it up to him, somehow. They hugged and waved one last time before Amaya and Janai walked out of the room. 

Somewhere halfway, Amaya had scooped Janai up as the Sunfire elf had nearly fallen after stumbling. Before they even got to the door of Amaya’s room, Janai had passed out and was snuggling against Amaya. After Amaya had managed to open the door for them and close it behind them, she bent her head down to press a soft kiss onto Janai’s forehead. A flutter of tingles spread through her chest as Janai scrunched her nose in response. 

It had taken a bit of effort, but finally Amaya laid Janai down onto the bed. She had undressed Janai and carefully put the sleep dress over Janai’s horns and head, she even made sure to cover the Sunfire elf’s dreadlocks and put the caps onto Janai’s horns.

As soon as Janai’s body was covered by the blanket, the elf snuggled into the covers. Amaya got undressed as quickly as she could and changed into her sleep shorts. Before she got into bed, she filled a glass with water and set it down on the nightstand on Janai’s side of the bed. 

Amaya watched the elf sleep peacefully, a smile lingering on her lips as sleep started to pull at her as well. Knowing Janai had actually enjoyed her birthday made Amaya incredibly happy, as it was all she wanted. Nothing would really matter to her, as long as Janai was happy. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for Janai, if it meant it would make Janai happy. Once more, Amaya leaned over to gently kiss Janai’s nose and finally Janai’s forehead before she too, fell asleep. 


End file.
